Monday, 14 September 2015

Pizzolo, Atria Shopping Gallery, Petaling Jaya

Pizzolo, Atria Shopping Gallery

Pizzolo, Modern Italian Restaurant, Atria Shopping Gallery

Aisling Cullen

Monica Tindall (The Yum List)

Italian food is a staple favourite here in KL but after eating copious amounts of spaghetti al’ olgio and pepperoni pizzas, a welcome change is needed. Enter Pizzolo, a new modern Italian restaurant from the owners of Torii, whose menu is as innovative and fresh as their vibrant, contemporary interior.

Taking up a large corner of the recently refurbished Atria Shopping Gallery, Pizzolo’s large and colourful signage cannot be missed from afar. The ambiance is bright, cheery and family friendly with various textures of wood mixed with painted colour blocks on the walls and lighting.

Pizzolo - Separate Area for Smokers

After examining the menu, a large number of dishes popped out as interesting twists on Italian tradition. The Trout Ceviche on Kataifi (RM19.90) was one such dish. Kataifi is a pastry that looks like Shredded Wheat, but with a lighter bite to it. The trout was zesty and fresh with lots of herbs which added to the profile of lightness.

Trout Ceviche

A duo of soups came along next. Italian Clam Chowder (RM16.90) was hearty and rich. The chef didn’t skimp on the clams and the soup had a not-too-liquidy not-too-thick consistency. The Wild Mushroom Cappuccino (RM14.90) proved a medium bodied soup with a dense flavour and large pieces of mushroom throughout. Both soups are served with a light and spongy garlic toast.

Clam Chowder

Wild Mushroom Cappuccino

Chilled Tomato, Watermelon and Feta Salad (RM17.90) was a hit with the girls. The roasted tomatoes and watermelon were beautifully sweet and counterbalanced the saltiness of the feta. Red, green and white put forth a very appealing presentation.

Chilled Tomato, Watermelon and Feta Salad

The Americana Crab Cakes with Lemon Garlic Aioli (RM19.90) are great value for the portion size. Stuffed with lots of fresh crab meat, the texture was almost fluffy. These were definitely a favourite at our table.

Crab Cakes

The pizzas, an all-important dish to get right in any Italian restaurant were smelt before they were seen. Wafts of roasted garlic bulbs reached our noses, before our eyes, in the Garlic Scampi Pizza (RM34.90). Served on a paddle board, this dish was rustic and crusty with a buttery white sauce. Be warned – although this pizza is delicious, it is not suitable for any first date! However the garlic bulbs are optional if you prefer a less aromatic option.

Garlic Scampi Pizza

The Roasted Lamb Shoulder Pizza (RM35.90) looked like a lot of work had gone into the making. Large pieces of tender lamb were complimented with a hint of chili providing quite some kick. Both pizzas had generous toppings, where cheese played an important, but more of a supporting part than stealing the lead.

Roasted Lamb Shoulder Pizza

The Blue Crab Ravioli (RM37.90) is an elegant dish and again saw plenty of fresh crab meat topping the ingredients. The rich butter and sage sauce balanced with the dainty crab filling.

Blue Crab Ravioli

We were about to burst from trying out so many delicious dishes but there were still a few desserts to try! The White Chocolate Crème Brûlée (RM17.90) established itself as a formidable sweet for The Yum List awards of luscious endings. Velvety white chocolate custard and a thin crisp topping demonstrated a well-executed version of this popular dessert.

White Chocolate Crème Brûlée

For those wanting a simple closure, the ice-cream selection offers some interesting flavours. Mon fancied the tartness of the Limoncello, but the Marsala got my vote (RM9.90) for its creaminess and subtle flavour.

Limoncello Sorbet

We loved the short but well-priced wine list, starting from RM82.90 a bottle but averaging at about RM120 – RM180 per bottle. The wine prices made us feel that the owners want their customers to have a good time – everything was quite reasonable and a lot of thought had gone into the selection of wines. We tried the house wines by Luis Felipe Edwards, a Chilean Merlot and a Sauvignon Blanc at RM23.90 per glass. Both are very enjoyable. A new wine bar will be opening soon on their mezzanine level which is something to look forward to.

House Wine

After trying many dishes at Pizzolo, I felt that there were still so many other interesting ones to try so I will definitely be returning for second helpings.

21 comments:

The ambiance looks light, relaxing and refreshing, and I love the coloured light fixtures and how they made the colours of the chairs match! The lamb pizza....gosh, I would definitely want to try this, as I love lamb! The clam chowder looks tasty and satisfying, the garlic scampi pizza looks tempting, the crab cakes look inviting, and the chilled tomato, watermelon and feta salad looks delicious! :) When you mentioned the separate area for smokers, I am assuming this means there is still smoking allowed in eating places there? Here in Quebec smoking has been stopped completely in restaurants, stores, malls, office buildings, etc. Being a non-smoker this obviously makes me pretty happy. :)

Although I have never tried limoncello sorbet, it looks delicious and I would love to sample it, especially since my favourite dessert is lemon meringue pie. :)

Oh Linda, I'm a big lemon meringue pie fan too! My mum makes a beauty. Agreed, there are lots of delicious dishes to try in this place. Many restaurants don't allow smoking inside, but quite a few offer a separate spot for smokers.

Selangor certainly has plenty of variety in the eating establishments.I SMOKE - But I am very glad that smoking is not permitted in the precincts ofthe food area, however, in an outdoor drinking area, I believe that smokers shouldhave some space. Food and smoking DO NOT MIX. I have never smoked at an eating place in my life, even whenit was permitted. I completely frowned on that aspect. However, Asians are renowned as smokers, so an area must be preserved for themto have a sip or two with a cigarette.The French are pretty prolific smokers also - however, even in France smoking has beenbanned from the eating areas but areas are available for the drinking smokers.

I cannot see anywhere in this report anything on a non-smoking law. Maybe I am going blind????Cheers - looks a really pleasant place.El Colin Cordobes, the middle one.

Ha ha... we were just joking the other day about how we're losing the ability to judge the ages of people, attributing it to poorer eyesight. We decided it best to only hang around people our own age or older as they wouldn't be able to detect the increment of fine lines on our faces. No youngsters with sharp vision in our group of friends. ;-)

I love pizzas, especially if cooked "au feu du bois"! I would have gone with the Garlic Scampi Pizza and Crab Cakes, they look so yummy! But desserts make my heart stop every time! You know Monica, the more I read your blog, the more I think I will be in serious trouble next time I visit Malaysia - so many great places to eat, I will have a hard time deciding where to go! :)

I love the flavour you get with the wood fired oven too. I see you'd go for the seafood options. Those, or vegetarian are usually my preferences too. There are quite a few good desserts in this city. You could make a tour just hopping around tasting them all.

The food looks wonderful, and I do love all the colors in the establishment. I'm not sure of the tomato and watermelon in the same salad, but I didn't used to put strawberries and onions together either.